The Minot State University Development Foundation has announced a partnership with Midwest Montessori to open a daycare and preschool facility on the Minot State University campus. The grand opening event is scheduled for Friday, August 22 at 1 p.m., with the facility located at 812 8th Street NW, south of Model Hall, on property owned by the MSU Development Foundation.
The new facility is owned and operated by Caleb and Courtney Heilman. The opening ceremony will include a ribbon cutting with the Minot Area Chamber EDC Ambassadors and remarks from Caleb Heilman; Steve Shirley, president of Minot State University; and Rick Hedberg, executive director of the MSU Development Foundation. Following the ceremony, tours of the facility and an open house for the public will be held from 2 to 4 p.m.
Rick Hedberg stated, “The MSU Development Foundation is excited for the opening of Midwest Montessori. We couldn’t be more pleased to partner with Caleb and his team in bringing this unique offering to Minot. The preschool and daycare will benefit a wide range of individuals in our community, most especially MSU early childhood education students by providing hands-on learning opportunities. This practical experience is invaluable for our students.
This facility is not only addressing a critical community need, but we’re also ensuring that our students gain real-world experience that will prepare them for a future in education and caregiving. This is an exciting development for our entire community.”
Midwest Montessori’s mission is to offer a program that supports independence, autonomy, social responsibility, and environmental awareness through movement and creativity. The center will serve children from six weeks to six years old. Infants up to 17 months will be cared for in the Nido House, while toddlers and older children will use rooms in the new building.
Caleb Heilman said, “Courtney and I are thrilled to bring Midwest Montessori to the Minot community and, frankly, relieved to see the development of the project come to fruition. The project has been over three years in the making, and we’re just so proud of what it has come to be. Our team, the facility, and the service they’ll allow us to provide to families in our community is beyond what either of us envisioned when we first embarked on this journey.”
Heilman expressed gratitude towards various groups who supported their efforts: “This truly has taken a village and we have so many groups/people we owe thanks to; the engineering and contracting teams that helped us through the early phases of development, the City of Minot for working alongside us through the permitting process; our financing partners, Rick Hedberg of the MSU Development Foundation and Samantha Mattson of the North Dakota Development Fund; and our leadership team who worked countless hours to bring it all together —Heather Erickson, Sarah Peterson, and Marie Cuitar.”
He also acknowledged family support: “This doesn’t happen without the support of mine and Courtney’s extended families,” he said. “Our parents, siblings, cousins, nieces, and nephews have been at the site nearly every day, assisting with everything from unloading large shipments to property maintenance and finishing work. I would be remiss if I didn’t extend a special thank you to my dad, Kent. None of this happens without the time and effort he’s put into the project from the very beginning.”
The school aims to honor Maria Montessori’s pedagogy using current educational research as well as Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) training standards for its Children’s House guide.
Midwest Montessori collaborated closely with Minot State University professors Dan Conn and Karen Foley during its development phase. The center plans ongoing work with programs such as Minot Infant Development Program.
“From its conception, our drive to create Midwest Montessori simply stemmed from wanting something better for our own children,” Heilman added. “We refused to subscribe to the notion that a place where children could be kept safe, loved, encouraged to engage with a high standard of education…was unrealistic. We’re proud to have not compromised throughout the process and share that Midwest Montessori will deliver all these benefits to families who choose to enroll with us.
We will work tirelessly to ensure Midwest Montessori becomes a business/service that we and the community of Minot can be proud of, and we can’t wait to see how many families’ lives are improved because of that work.”
Key staff members include Heather Erickson (director), Sarah Peterson (curriculum director/Children’s House 1 guide), Marie Cutaiar (Children’s House 2 guide), Madi Nichols (Toddler Room guide), Alex Justinak (Nido 1 guide), and McKayla Wright (Nido 2 guide).
In addition to support from MSU Development Foundation staff https://www.minotstateu.edu/msudevelopmentfoundation/, financial assistance was provided by North Dakota Development Fund https://ndresponse.gov/north-dakota-development-fund.
